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Re: their own religious right

What does the author mean by "their own religious right." in this context?

"They believed that rebuilding a shorter wall along the 1967 demarcation line was the only way to ensure physical security, no matter what backlash might occur from their own religious right."

The speaker is making reference to the religious right in the United States (which would loudly protest over any perceived lessening of Israeli sovereignty), presumably where the interviewer is from. He's saying that "they" (the subject of your sentence) would only be worried about the reaction of the religious right in Israel .

Re: “Their own religious right”

The sentence is taken from the book World War Z by Max Brooks. The speaker is Saladin Kader, a Kuwaiti-born university lecturer, who was being interviewed; at that point he was replying to the question, “What do you think caused the war?” Here is the paragraph from which the sentence is taken:

I think there were many causes. I know the repatriation of Palestinians was unpopular, so was the general pullout from the West Bank. I’m sure the Strategic Hamlet Resettlement Program must have inflamed more than its share of hearts. A lot of Israelis had to watch their houses bulldozed in order to make way for those fortified, self-sufficient residential compounds. Al Quds, I believe… that was the final straw. The Coalition Government decided that it was the one major weak point, too large to control and a hole that led right into the heart of Israel. They not only evacuated the city, but the entire Nablus to Hebron corridor as well. They believed that rebuilding a shorter wall along the 1967 demarcation line was the only way to ensure physical security, no matter what backlash might occur from their own religious right. I learned all this much later, you understand, as well as the fact that the only reason the IDF eventually triumphed was because the majority of the rebels came from the ranks of the Ultra-Orthodox and therefore most had never served in the armed forces. Did you know that? I didn’t. I realized I practically didn’t know anything about these people I’d hated my entire life. Everything I thought was true went up in smoke that day, supplanted by the face of our real enemy.

Re: “Their own religious right”

It's badly written. 'They believed that building a wall...' doesn't mean 'they built a wall' (although we know they did). So 'no matter what...' refers to a decision that, as far as the text is concerned, hasn't been made. Moreover, the backlash doesn't 'occur from the right'; it is a response to actions that grow out of their decision to assert that right.

Note: I am not arguing for or against any claimed rights, however arguable they may be. I'm just saying that the bolded sentence is badly written, and explaining why. (I'm glad that so far contributors to this thread haven't entered into a religious argument. I hope future responders show similar restraint. But be aware that you're on thin ice! )